In this upcoming matchup, A&T will try to reorganize in the face of injuries and uncertainty under first-year head coach Shawn Gibbs, Hampton comes on the wave of a tough comeback victory.

In their 27–20 home opening versus Elizabeth City State last week, Hampton (1–1) gave it their all. The Pirates, now in their second season, demonstrated the resilience that coach Robert Boykin has been teaching as they battled through weather delays and were down 10 at halftime.

Their performance in the second half showed fire and toughness. Timely offensive drives, a strong defense, and an effective ground game all contributed to the victory.

Especially after the team’s crushing victory over A&T previous season (59–17), it was a statement moment. This rivalry is still tainted by Hampton’s supremacy since last October The Aggies (0-2) are still without a victory heading into their home opener, but their issues stretch beyond the season’s opening W-L column.

Their fight against Tennessee State University in the first week was a gut-punch with a close loss in the end. The crushing 68–7 loss against UCF later in week two was devastating, both in terms of the score and the harm done to the quarterback.

“We didn’t look our best against UCF, but that’s expected when you’re facing a high level Power Five program. It was a tough matchup, but it gave us perspective.” said A&T senior Chason Watkins.

A&T’s quarterback depth has been gutted—starter Braxton Thomas and backup Champ Long both suffered dislocated elbows, while true freshman Jy Walls broke his collarbone and is out for the season. Now, the offense rests on 6’3 freshman Nelson Layne heading into the home opener.

“We’re good. We let you guys worry about that. We gotta go play football. Whoever the quarterback is, we’re going to rally behind them,” Coach Gibbs at a press conference responded when asked how the squad was mentally with all the injuries and how he kept them going. “These guys want to win, so it’s easy to keep them going.”

A&T’s home opener versus Hampton is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. As the Aggies welcome back the 1975 team, the athletic department at A&T will commemorate the golden anniversary of the school’s first-ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship football team.

Now that sentiment has more weight. The Aggies, led by seasoned players like LB Josh Iseah and RB Shimique Blizzard, need to overcome quarterback instability in addition to establishing an offensive rhythm. In contrast, Hampton launches a well-rounded offensive assault that seeks to take advantage of A&T’s weaknesses.

“They disrespected the Aggies last year at home on homecoming, and they won’t be coming to do that again. We’ve been thinking that this is a different team and a different program, and we can’t wait to show you all at home and against the team that has something of ours,” said  sophomore wide receiver Jay Avery.

Fans look to Saturday’s game to determine the direction of each program’s season, not simply to see who wins at the end of the evening. While A&T is in dire need of a spark to legitimize Gibbs’s reconstruction and demonstrate their ability to compete in the Coastal Athletic Association, Hampton would strengthen its identity under Boykin.